Harvesting-machine



(No Model.) 7 4 SheetsSheet 1.

A. STARK.

HARVESTING MACHINE.

No. 385,779. Patented July 10, 1888.

(No Model.)

4 Sheets- Sheet 2. A... STARK.

HARVESTING MACHINE.

No. 385,779. f Z 9 Z Patented July 10, 1888.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A. STARK.

HARVESTING MACHINE.

- No. 385,779 Pate ed July 10,1888.

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(No Model.) n 4 Sheets-Sheet4.

A. STARK.

HARVESTING MACHINE.

No. 385,779. Patented July 1 88.

Umrnn TATES PATENT Orrrcn.

ANDRE? STARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HARVESTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,779, dated July 10, 1888. 'Applicatipu filed October 14, 1887. Serial Nohiilfifiil. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW STARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in IIZLFVGSILlHg"llIilChlllGS, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part thereof, wherein Figure 1 is a plan ofa part of a harvesting machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a continuation of same plan, showing part of the same and other parts grainward from what is seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken at the line at m, Fig. 2. i Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the same parts. Fig. 5 is a detail plan of a deck located intermediately with respect to the platform conveyor and binder-deck, and showing, also, part of said conveyer and biuderdeck.

A is the platform-conveyor.

B is the binder-deck.

O is the clearing-roller at the delivery side of the conveyer.

D is the intermediate platform between the roller 0 and the binder deck 13.

E is the binder, which is shown in the familiar form, having the needle E and the packers E lllfloperating from beneath the deck and striking upward through it to perform their respective offices.

F is the buttingcanvas or butt-adjuster.

J is a device peculiar to my inventiomwhieh for convenience of reference I call a binder-* feeder.

The conveyer Ais of the most usual forman endless belt carried upon parallel rollers or drums, the drum or roller A at the delivery side being the driver.

The roller is preferably of considerable size, and smooth. It is parallel to the conveyer-rollcr A and as close to the delivery side of the conveyor as it can safely be placed without being in danger of contact with the slats on the conveyer-canvas.

The i ntermediate platform or deck,D, is horizontal at the level of the upper surface of the roller 0, and consequently,when alarge roller is employed, somewhat higher than the surface of the conveyer-platform A. It is wider at the front than at the rear, so that its stub bleward side is oblique toits grainward or receiving side.

The binder-deck rests upon the intermediate platform at the stubbleward side of the latter. Its length is oblique to the line of travel and to the direction of movement of the platformconveyer, being parallel to the stubbleward edge of the intermediate platform. From that platform it slopes upward in direction obliquely rearward and stubbleward-that is, at right angles to the described oblique dircction of its lengthwise eXtent-aud is sustained in the usual manner on the binder-frame. In general the structure of the intermediate platform and the binder-deck does not differ materially from that of the same parts as shown in my patent, No. 360,061, dated March 29, 1887. The driving-train to actuate these parts commences with the master-wheel G, from which a chain passes over the sprocket-wheel G, at the grain end of whose shaft the bevel gear-wheel G is fast, and meshes with the pinion G on the forward end oftheshaftg",at whose rear end is fastened the sprocket-wheel G, around which a chain, 9, passes around the sprocket-wheel G which drives the binder, and the sprocket-wheel G on the shaft g". This shaft is journaled in the bracket it, which is secured to the harvester-frame a little forward of the wheel G, and also in the bracket h, secured to the rear sill and rear framebars of the harvester-frame. The bracket 71, has bearings for thelower end of the reeldriving shaft 2', on the lower end of which the bevel gear-wheel I is fastened, and is driven by the bevel-pinion G fixed on the forward end of the shaft 9. A little farther rearward the bevelgear G fast on the shaft meshes with the bevel-gear F on the shaft of the driving-drum of the butting canvas, and so drives the but tingcanvas. G, fast on the shaft by means of the chain 9, drives the driving-roller of the platform conveyer by passing around the sprocket -whcel A fast on the shaft of said driving-roller A. Between the bevel-gear G and the sprocketwheel G" the shaft has fast upon it the clearing-roller O.

The binder-feeder J comprises a frame in which are j ournalcd two parallel rollers, around which passes the endless canvas belt, the con- At the rear the sprocket-wheel struction being similar to the well known forms of endless conveyors. The driving. roller of this device has its shaft extended through the forward end of the frame and journaled in a bracket which is secured upon the top of the frame of the butting-canvas F, and has pinned fast to it a bevel gear-wheel, J which is driven by the bevel gear-wheel J on the stubbleward end of the shaft j", which is journaled in suitable brackets upon the top of the butting canvas frame, and has pinned fast to it at the grainward end the beveled gear-wheel J", which is driven by the beveled gear-wheel J fast on the upper end of the shaft j of the driving-drum of the butting-canvas F. The rear end of the binderfeeder frame is supported by the bracket J, which is secured to the rear sill and other frame-bars of the harvester-frame, and has a pivotal connection at its upper end with the feeder frame, said pivot being in line with the axis of the drivingroller of the feeder, and the shaft of said roller may constitute said pivot. The driving-roller of the feeder is stubbleward of its two rollers, and the entire device is thus pivoted upon the shaft ofits driving-roller at the stubble side and has its grainward side free to oscillate up and down. The rollers of the feeder are located in vertical planes oblique to the vertical plane of the conveyerroller and substantially parallel to the vertical plane through the stubbleward edge of the intermediate platform, orthe receiving edge of the binder deck, so that the feedercanvas moves in direction substantially as much oblique to that of the conveyer A as the lengthwise direction of the binder-deck is oblique to that of the conveyer-rollers and the roller 0 and theintermediate platform, D,at its receiving edge.

As seen in Fig. 3, the binder-feeder J is a little lower at the rear than in front, which is incidental to the fact that the feeder being oblique to the roller 0, as seen in plan, and also being in all ordinary operative positions inclined upward from its grainward to its stubble side, a vertical plane through the axis of the rollerO would intersect the feedersurface farther from its receiving side at the 'rear end than at the forward end, and hence, if its rollers were horizontal, higher at that rear end than at the forward end--that is to say, if the feeder-rollers were horizontal, the space between the roller 0 and the feeder overhanging it would be wider at the rear end.

This space may be termed the bindermouth. It is notdesirable that it should be materially wider at one end than at the other, and for that reason the feeder J is preferably depressed somewhat at the rear end.

As indicated in the foregoing description, the feeder at its grainward or receiving side overhangs the roller 0. It also extends grainward far enough so that it overhangs also the platform-conveyer, its oblique position causing it to overhang considerably farther at the rear end than at the front, and, as shown, at the front end the delivery side of the platformconveyer and the receiving side of the binder feeder are about in the same vertical plane; but I do not lay stress upon the exact relative positions of these two elements.

In order to prevent straw from being carried over by the feeder J, (though there is Very little liability to that, except in the case of branching weeds which may be among the grain,) I employ the stripping wires J secured to the cross-board 9' of the feeder-frame and bent down around the grainward roller outside the canvas, and extending thence up along the under side of the same beyond the delivery side ofthe feeder. These wires should he so light and lie so close to the canvas as not materially to prevent the latter from hav- 'ing its full feeding action upon the straw beneath it.

At the delivery side of the feeder J is located the guide plate or lip K, which is upheld by being fastened to the bar K, secured to the up per side of the butting-canvas frame at the forward end, and to the upper end of the bracket J at the rear end. This lip K has its grain ward edge nearly touching the slats of the feeder J, and the ends of the wires J extend stubbleward beyond that edge of the plate, so that it is rendered practically impossible for straw to be carried up and over by thefeeder. The stubbleward edge of the lip K extends under the breast-plate The needle E and the packers E E operate upwardly through the binder-deck in vertical planes substantially parallel to the direction of action of the feeder Jthat is, at right angles to the lengthwise extent of the binderdeckand the delivery side of the feeder J the needle and packers penetrate the deck in their upward movement, preferably extending a little stubbleward beyond that point, so that its action overlaps slightly that of thepaekers. The packers strike up toward the lip K, which affords the needful resistance to enable the packers to penetrate and compact the grain as they feed it forward under the breast-plate. In general the action of this combination of devices will be obvious without further detailed description; but the effect and operation of the feeder J are somewhat peculiar, and the purpose it serves -is not entirely obvious from mere inspection of the mechanism itself without witnessing it in actual operation in the field, and I will therefore describe its action and purpose specifically. WVhen the straw is heavy, whether bulky or not, its weight as it rests upon the conveying and feeding devices, which operate upon it from beneath, gives these devices good grasp upon it, so that even the smooth roller 0 will be effective to feed it on from the conveyer A, and notwithstanding that in so doing it must elevate it several inches it will force it onto the intermediate platform, and even more effectually will the packers, operating upward from beneath the deck, engage and feed the grain forward to IIC' the proper position for binding; but when the straw is very light, on account of being very ripe, and especially if it is so tangled that it does not lie so compactly as straight straw would lie, feeding devices operating upon it from beneath, even whenthey are of the most positive sort, as rakes having long teeth to engage it, or the packers, whose teeth are calculated to penetrate it, fail often to get any ef fective grasp upon it, but, instead of feeding it onward, will merely toss it up and down or operate impotently underneath it while it ac cumulates on the conveyer-platform, and es pecially at the delivery side thereof, until its bulk defeats all possibility of the desired operation. This defective action is not particularly in the horizontal platform-conveyer; but as soon as any impediment-is cneountered-as an upward slope or the necessity of a change of direction--it is manifested.

In machines of the class to which thisinvention belongs, wherein the grain is deflected rearward after leaving the platform, there is also the necessity for devices to effect this deflection, and also means for straightening the grain, which often falls upon the platform in all directions, and all these purposes must be accomplished in the short interval between the conveyor and the bindcrdeck. I find that the overhanging binder-feeder J will accomplish these results when located in the oblique position shown, and extending the entire width of the platform-conveyer and overhanging it, as shown, and operating in conjunction with the clearing roller 0, for the grain, however light, will be engaged positively by it at its grainward end, which floats upon the grain, so that its weight, and not the weight of the straw, gives it grasp; but in order that it may not fall down so far as to actually rest upon the roller 0, I provide a little stop, j, on the forward end of the frame, which stops upon the upper head of the butting canvas frame, and allo ws the feeder J to approach only within an inch or two of the roller 0. its oblique po sition and direction of action, taken in conjunction with the similarly-oblique extent of the upward-sloping binder-deck, causes it to tend to bring all the grain under its action into similar oblique position, and this action comprises two separate processes, deflecting the grain from the position in which it is de livered off the platform conveyer and rendering it parallel.

I am aware that the deflecting of the grain has been atte1npted,and may be accomplished,

by a belt similarly located, except that it was of slight width and operated only upon the butts or forward part of the stra\ and to some extent such a device tends also to render the straw under its action parallel, but frequently the straw falls upon the platform almost butts foremost thatis, so that it travels on the cm veyer toward the binder butts foremost-and such straw, when engaged by any device which acts only over a small part of the width of the platform and deck, will not have its position corrected, but will be fed almost endwisc into the binder, whereas with my binder-feeder extending across the whole width of the platform such straw is tn rncd to proper position parallel with the rollers of said feeder in time to enter the binder properly. \Vhen the grainis thin, the feeder J falls and leaves only sufficient space between itself and the roller 0 for the small quantity of grain to pass, but still engages and feeds that small quantity. When it is very bulky, it rises upon the straw as it gathers it. under itself and affords ample room for it to enter, but meanwhile by its weight tends to compactit, thus assisting the packers.

Since in ordinary conditions of grain, and even in cases of extraordinary bulk, the stubbleward side of the feeder is farther from the deck than the grainward side. there exists space into which the stream of grain fed in u nderthe receiving edge of the feeder accumulates to greater depth than that of the stream as it passed under the said receiving edge,and in the intervals while the needle is up, and forms a barrier at the stubble side, the grain fed in this space is rolled over and over by the overhanging feeder, and in that process is thoroughly straightened and rendered parallcl, and even if very much tangled and confused is rendered somewhat uniform and adapted to make regular bundles. The action of the l. utting-belt F and its co operation with the other devices to deflect the grain and render the butts even are well understood, and are fully set forth, also, in my patent, No. 360,061, above mentioned. It does, however, co-operate more effectively with the feeder J than with any deflecting or straightening device which does not extend across the entire width of the platform. The speed of the two bclts that of the butter and that of the binderfeeder-should be approximately the same.

In order that the bracket J may not int pede the heads of extra long grain, I bow it out rearward between the level of the platform I) and the feeder J at the point where it is secured thereto.

The binder mechanism receives power from the shaft M N, the forward part of which, M, is square and slides through its driving sprocket-wheel G which is journaled on the harvester-frame, and the rear part, N,of which is journaled in thebinderframe and connected to the forward part, M, by a universal joint at m. This construction and the purpose of it are the same as in my patent, No. 360,061, dated March 29, 1887. On the rear part, N, ofthis shaft are two wheels; 0 a gear-wheel which meshes with and drives the main binder gear-wheel P, and R a sprocl; et'wheel which, by means of a chain, 1", drives the packer-shaft S, which is located below the deck.

The tripping andclulching mechanisms may be as usual, and are not herein shown or de' scribed.

I claim 1. Incombination with the sidewise-delivering platformconveyer and the obliquely-sita ated upwardsloping binder-deck, the binderfeeder J, having its shafts situated and its surface operating obliquely with respect to the conveyer, and of substantially the full width of the latter, and having its receiving side overhanging the conveyer and its delivery side overhanging the binder-deck, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the sidewise delivering platform-conveyer and the obliquelysituated binder-deck, the packers operating in vertical planes oblique to the vertical plane of the conveyers movement, and the binderfeeder J, situated obliquely with respect to the conveyer, and operating in vertical planes substantially parallel to those of the packers movement, said binder-feeder being of substantially the full width of the conveyer, and having its receiving side overhanging the platform-conveyer at the rear and its delivery side overhanging the binder-deck, and having its grain-actuating surface sloping upward from its receiving to its delivery side, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the sidewise delix ering platform-convcyer and the obliquelysituated binder-deck, the packers operating from beneath the deck upward through the same in vertical planes oblique to the vertical planes of the conveyers movement, and the binderfeeder J, having-its grain-actnating surface sloping upward from its receiving to its delivery side, and operating in vertical planes substantially parallel to the packers movement and overhanging the binder-deck, and

extending stubbleward to a point beyond the grainward sweep of the packers, and overhanging their points of emergence through the deck, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with the sidewise-delivering platfornrconveyer and the obliquelysituated bindendeck, the packers operating from beneath the deck upward through the same in vertical planes oblique to the planes of the conveyers movement, and the binderfeeder J,having its receiving side overhanging the eonveyer at the rear and its delivery side overhanging the points of emergence of the packers through the deck, said binderfeeder having its rollers oblique to the conveyerrollers and its grain-feeding surface moving in directions substantially parallel to the vertical planes of the packers, and inclined upward from its receiving to its delivery side, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with the sidewise-delivery platform-conveyer, the clearing-roller at its delivery side, the binder-deck situated obliquely with respect to the conveyer and clearing-roller, the packers operating in vertical planes oblique to the conveyers movement, and the binder-feeder J, consisting of an end less belt whose shafts are situated obliquely with respect to the con veyerand clearing-roller and operating in direction substantially parallel to the vertical planes of the packers movement,overhangingatitsreceiving sidesubstantially the whole length of the clearing-roller, and at its delivery side overhanging the binderdeck, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with the sidewise-delivcry platform-conveyer and the obliquelysituated binder-deck, the clearing roller at the delivery side of the conveyer, the packers oper ating from beneath the binderdeck upward through the same invertical planes oblique to the vertical planes of the conveyers movement, and the binder-feeder J,operatingin vertical planes substantially parallel to the packers movement, overhanging at its receiving side substantially the entirelength of the clearingroller, and at its delivery side overhanging the points of emergence of the packers through the binder-deck, substantially as set forth.

7. In combination with the sidewise delivering platform-conveyer and the deck or platform located stubbleward therefrom, thebinder-feeder J, having its rollers oblique to the vertical plane of the convcyer-rollers and its grain-actuating surface inclined upward from its receiving to its delivery side and having itsreceivingsideoverhangingsubstantiallythe entire width of the conveyer, substantially as set forth.

S. In combination with the sidewisc-delivering platform-conveyer and the deck or platform toward which it moves the grain, the binder-feeder J, having its rollers oblique to the vertical plane of the conveyer-rollers, and pivoted about the axis of the roller at the discharge side, and having the receivingside free to oscillate up and down and overhanging substantially the entire width of the platformconveyer, substantially as set forth.

9. In combination with the sidewise-delivering platform conveyer and the binder-deck located obliquely thereto, the packers operating in vertical planes oblique to the movement of the conveyer, and the binder-feeder J, having the vertical plane of its movement substantially parallel to that of the packers, pivotally supported at its discharge side, and having its receiving side free to oscillate up and down and overhanging substantially the entire width of the platform-conveyor.

10. In combination with the sidcwise-delivering platform conveyer and the clearing roller at its discharge side, the platform or deck toward which itdischargcs, and the binder-feeder J, having its rollers oblique to the clearing-roller and pivoted near its discharge side, and having its receiving side overhang ing substantially the entirelength of the clearing-roller and free to oscillate up and down, substantially as set forth.

11. In combination with the sidewise-delivering platform conveyer and the clearingroller at the discharge side thereof, the binderdeck located obliquely with respect to the conveyer, the packers operatingin vertical planes oblique to the movement of the conveyer, and v the binder-feeder J,the verticalplane of whose movement is substantially parallel to that of the packers, pivotally supported near its discharge side and free to oscillate up and down at its receiving side,which overhangs substantially the entire length of the clearing-roller substantially as set forth.

12. In combination with the conveyer-platform and the clearing-roller at the delivery side thereof, the binder-feeder J, oblique to the conveyer and sloping upward from the receiving to the discharge side and overhanging substantially the whole Width of the platform and the whole length of the clearing-roller, said clearing-roller having its upper surface higher than the carryingsurface of the conveyer, whereby the binder-feeder is enabled to hang close down to the roller Without striking theplatform-conveyer, notwithstanding its oblique position and its slope, substantially as set forth.

13. In combination with the binder-deck and the packers operating upward from be neath the same, the overhangingbinder-feeder J, consisting of an endless belt carried upon parallel rollers extending substantially across the entire width of the deck and free to oscillate up and down at its receiving end, and the guide sheet or lip K, located at the discharge side of the hinder-feeder and extending thence stubbleward under the breast-platasaid feeder and lip together overhanging the entire course of the packers, substantially as set forth.

14. In combination with binder deck and underneath packers, the binderfeeder J, and the guide sheet or lip K at its discharge side, and the stripping-Wires Jlsecured to the feeder-franie and passing around its receiving side and along its under face and lapping under the lip K at the discharge side of the feeder, substantially as set forth.

ANDRFHV STARK.

itnesses:

E. F. BURTON, FRANCIS W. PARKER. 

